CSI: Los Angeles
by almathea
Summary: Nick, Sara and Greg head to Los Angeles in search of a killer.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI. Not Las Vegas anyway. I _do_ own CSI: Los Angeles, all it's characters are mine, and no one else can use them. I don't own any of the songs I used: Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Lonely No More by Rob Thomas. They are the property of whoever created them.

A/N: Californication is the first thing in here, though it doesn't relate _exactly_ to the story. It did however, inspire the idea of a CSI in LA, and I think that the _concept_ of the song fits. It's like the theme song. : )

**CSI: Los Angeles**

**Chapter 1**

_Psychic spies from China _

_Try to steal your mind's elation_

_Little girls from Sweden_

_Dream of silver screen quotations_

_And if you want these kind of dreams_

_It's Californication_

_It's the edge of the world_

_And all of western civilization_

_The sun may rise in the East _

_At least it settles in the final location_

_It's understood that Hollywood_

_Sells Californication_

_Pay your surgeon very well_

_To break the spell of aging_

_Celebrity skin is this your chin_

_Or is that war you're waging_

_First born unicorn_

_Hard core, soft porn_

_Dream of Californication _

_Dream of Californication_

_Marry me girl, be my fairy to the world_

_Be my very own constellation_

_A teenage bride with a baby inside_

_Getting high on information_

_And buy me a star on the boulevard _

_It's Californication _

_Space may be the final frontier_

_But it's made in a Hollywood basement_

_Cobain can you hear the spheres_

_Singing songs off station to station_

_And Alderon's not far away_

_It's Californication_

_Born and raised by those who praise _

_Control of population_

_Everybody's been there_

_And I don't mean on vacation_

_First born unicorn_

_Hard core, soft porn_

_Dream of Californication _

_Dream of Californication_

_Dream of Californication _

_Dream of Californication_

_Destruction leads to a very rough road _

_But it also breeds creation_

_And earthquakes are to a girl's guitar_

_They're just another good vibration_

_And tidal waves couldn't save the world_

_From Californication _

_Pay your surgeon very well _

_To break the spell of aging_

_Sicker than the rest_

_There is no test_

_But this is what you're craving_

_First born unicorn_

_Hard core, soft porn_

_Dream of Californication _

_Dream of Californication_

_Dream of Californication _

_Dream of Californication_

Nick, Sara, and Greg headed out of the airport and into sunny Los Angeles. So this is where their killer had fled. He did have a nice taste in scenery, but Sara had a feeling that wasn't what had brought him here.

Apparently, a murder matching their guy's MO had been committed here earlier that morning. They had caught the soonest flight to California to check it out and see if it really was the killer who had somehow slipped through the fingers of the Las Vegas PD, as well as those of several cities along the way.

There was supposed to be an escort of some kind provided by the CSI's in Los Angeles, but there didn't seem to be anything of the sort. As they wandered towards the parking area, Nick pointed out a figure in a forensics jacket leaning against a black Suburban.

They headed over to the figure, they saw that it was a young man, about Greg's age, who looked a little bored. He perked up when he saw them approaching.

Sara got a confused and slightly worried look when she read the name on his jacket: 'Oxenstierna'. _Hate to have to pronounce that one._

He must have noticed her staring, and her puzzled expression, because he immediately introduced himself. "Tobias Oxenstierna." He pronounced it 'ook-sen sher-na'. "I was sent to…retrieve you, and to take you to the crime scene." He eyed them for a moment and brushed back a chunk of dark brown hair off his forehead, only to have it fall right back. "Or I could stop by your hotel if you wish."

They shook their heads and said they were fine, so they piled into the Suburban and headed for the scene. It was a seedy motel room, and it looked almost identical to the three scenes in Vegas. The entire room was in disarray, except for a circle in the center of the room that was entirely clear of debris, about five feet in diameter, where there was a dried blood stain.

"We cleared the scene, and the coroner took the body already," a voice said suddenly. They turned to see a man observing them. He stepped forward and extended a hand. "Anthony Walker." He glanced at the younger man who had brought them. "I take it you've met Mr. Oxenstierna." They nodded and introduced themselves.

He then gestured to the center of the room. "Body was sitting hunched over in the middle of that circle. Single small puncture wound to the center of the chest. Any of this sound familiar?" When they nodded he continued. "Victim was a woman, mid-twenties, dressed in formal attire. Photos are being developed as we speak."

Nick spoke up, "How long ago was the body discovered?"

Anthony looked at his watch. "About two hours ago. You didn't waste any time getting over here."

"Time of death?"

"Coroner put it about three a.m."

Nick glanced at his watch. Nine-fifteen in the morning. It was going to be a long day.

After a quick stop at their hotel to drop off their luggage and such, they were taken to Los Angeles's crime lab. Upon arriving, they were introduced to the lab's supervisor, Vivian Myers. She explained what they knew so far about the case, and then led them down a hall, with Tobias in tow. As they approached the Trace lab, they could hear rock music drifting out. Greg looked at Sara and raised an eyebrow in a _hey, what-do-you-know_ look. They entered the lab, where a young woman with dark red hair was examining something and singing to herself.

_I don't wanna be lonely no more  
I don't wanna have to pay for this  
I don't want to know the lover at my door  
Is just another heartache on my list _

I don't wanna be angry no more  
You know I could never stand for this  
So when you tell me that you love me know for sure  
I don't want to be lonely anymore

After a while she seemed to become aware that she had an audience, and she slowly peeked over her shoulder. She jumped when she saw the crowd in the doorway, and reached over to her CD player to turn it down.

"Uh… hi. Can I help you?"

Vivian gave her a brief look, then motioned to the others in the doorway. "These are the CSI's from Las Vegas. This morning's murder looks to be by the killer they're after. You've got the trace evidence from that case. What can you tell us?"

She looked uncertainly at the table in front of her. "Well, there was a blue powdery substance on the victims dress. Turned out it was chalk. The kind you use on a pool cue. And the way it was on there, in a big blotch, it was probably transfer off of his hand, maybe when he positioned the body."

Her superior gave her an approving look. "Good." She turned back to the visitors. "By the way, this is Rebekah MacRae, our resident newbie. She's getting some experience in both the field and the lab."

As Vivian led the Vegas CSI's down to the morgue to show them the body, Tobias headed into the Trace lab to talk to Rebekah.

"You know, I think she was trying to make you look like an idiot back there," he told her. "But you showed her!"

She just sighed, and reached over to turn her music back up. He stopped her by putting his hand on top of hers. "Look, I know it's not easy being the new guy…uh, but you've just got to hang in there, and they'll eventually give you some respect."

She let out a noise that sounded like it was supposed to be a snort. "Yeah. Sure. Eventually."

He gave her a little half smile and turned her music back up.

In the morgue, Nick, Sara, and Greg were looking over the corpse. It looked almost exactly like the three DB's they had already seen. The victim was always a female in her mid-twenties, and always dressed like she was going somewhere special. The dresses were all different, but would all fit right in at some upscale gala.

The only mark on any of the corpses was a single small puncture wound in the chest, that had pierced the heart.

"There was no ID on her," Vivian explained. "So, we ran her prints and got a hit in AFIS. Annette Pearson, 26. She was on file from a shoplifting charge in '98." She glanced at the file she was holding. "In Vegas, actually."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "So, did he follow her here?"

"It's possible."

"Why?" Sara asked. "Why stay in Vegas for three murders and then come all the way to LA for the next?"

"Maybe she was someone special," Greg said from the back of the group.

They all turned to look at him.

"What?" he asked. "Maybe the others were practice or something."

They all nodded. It made sense. Whoever was killing these women had a _strong_ connection to this particular girl.

Sara stated the obvious. "We have to find out where this girl's been the past few days."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: Vegas. LA's all mine though.

**Chapter 2**

Later that day, they had tracked down Pearson's movements for most of the past few days. Most of their information was from surveillance cameras in varying stores, banks, and such, as well as some eye-witnesses. Their best lead was a small bar called McInelly's, where, according to witnesses, she was from 8 p.m. until 11:30 on the night before she died. The only reason people had even noticed her was because she was in the process of starting a career in acting, and she made a point of telling _everybody_. So, a few news broadcasts with her picture, and the tips started flowing in.

So, Nick, Tobias, and Rebekah went to talk to the bartender, and any other witnesses who happened to be there at the time. Rebekah only got to because Vivian said she needed more experience questioning witnesses.

They approached the bartender, who introduced himself as Nate Smith. He told them that Pearson had been there for _hours_, telling everyone how she was going to be a big star. "I was getting pretty close to throwing her out, 'cause she was scaring off the customers."

"Did she leave with anyone?" Rebekah asked.

"No, but there was this shady lookin' guy that was watching her all night. I think he may have followed her out, 'cause I'd been keeping an eye on him, and right after she left, he disappeared."

"Could you describe him?" Nick inquired, eager to finally catch this guy.

"Well, he was just an average looking guy, nothing about him really stands out in my mind. But…there is a security camera over the bar. We've had some trouble with people trying to steal stuff from the pool tables. How pathetic is that? Anyway, he was hanging out over there, so it might have a shot of him."

He led them into the back room, where he looked through a shelf of tapes to find the night in question. "They never put them in here in order. If they were arranged properly, it would be right at the end, but no…"

He gave a little cry of triumph when he finally found the previous night's tape. He put it into a nearby VCR and fast forwarded it to 8 p.m. Then he played it at normal speed until he saw what he was looking for. "There! That's the guy!" He froze the tape and tapped the screen on the image of a rather shady looking guy.

Nick made note of the time in the corner of the screen. "We're gonna need that tape."

"Sure thing," Smith replied, as he popped the tape out of the VCR, put it back in its box and handed it to Nick.

Back at the lab, the image had been isolated, enhanced, and printed. They could now see the face of the man they were chasing. Now they just had to put a name to the face.

Since it had become apparent that he had come to LA specifically for Annette Pearson, the next logical step was to talk to people who knew her, to see if they recognized the man from the tape.

Their first stop was Pearson's roommate, Jenna Valdez. They had gone to high school together, and afterwards Jenna had moved to LA. When Annette decided to pursue a career in acting, she had moved into her apartment with her.

Tobias and Rebekah took this one, as Nick was back at the lab, tracking down other friends and relatives.

After brief introductions, they showed Jenna the photo taken from the tape. She looked blank and then suddenly surprised.

"I know him! Oh, what's his name…? Um… he went to high school with Annette and I. Hang on, I'll be right back." She darted to a bookcase, and returned carrying a yearbook. She quickly flipped to the section containing her Senior class. "Here he is. Martin Elroy." She pointed to a picture of a young man who looked almost exactly like the picture Rebekah was holding. He even had the same shifty eyes.

"Who was he? What connection did he have to Annette?" Tobias inquired.

"I'm not sure. She was always in the popular group, and he… well, he wasn't really in any group. He was really quiet, kept to himself. I don't think he had any friends. That's pretty sad—wait! I think he may have asked Annette to our Senior Prom. She turned him down, he was probably completely crushed. It must have taken him weeks to get up the nerve to ask her." She paused and looked at the CSI's in front of her. "That's all I can remember. I hope it helps."

"Oh, you've been very helpful. Thank you for your time," Tobias said as they left.

When they returned to the lab, they came hurrying in to the Trace lab, when the others were gathered, trying to get something else from the bits of evidence spread on the table before them.

"We got a name!" Rebekah said loudly as the came through the door.

Everyone looked up expectantly.

"Martin Elroy, attended high school with Annette Pearson," Tobias explained.

Sara looked skeptical. "But what reason would he have to kill her?"

Tobias continued, "He asked her to the Senior Prom. She turned him down. He was a really shy, unstable sort of guy, and he may have just snapped."

"Nine years later?" Sara asked.

Rebekah stepped forward. "Sure, it may have been building up for all of those years, then suddenly he lost it, decided to do something about it. So, he starts killing women that remind him of her. Then he somehow finds out that she's in LA, and come out here to kill her."

Greg nodded. "So that's why all the victims were dressed in formal wear. He was still after a Prom date. But what about the blue chalk?"

Nick thought about for a moment. "Well…he was hanging around the bar watching Annette, maybe he did that for the victims."

"What did he use to kill them? It would have to be something long and thin, noting the size of the wound," Anthony pointed out.

"I guess we'll just have to find him and ask him ourselves," Vivian replied.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own anything except the characters of the LA crime lab. They're all mine. You can't have them. Warning for language.

**Chapter 3**

Within a few hours, Vivian had contacted Captain Rick Marshall, her inside man at the LAPD. He had tracked down Elroy at the hotel he was staying in. He then took some officers down to pick ol' Marty up, and bring him in for questioning.

Since they had also obtained a warrant for his hotel room and vehicle, Tobias, Rebekah, and Greg went over to look through his stuff while Nick and Anthony were questioning him.

His hotel room was virtually empty, he must have packed _very_ light. Lying on the bed was a pool stick case. Rebekah donned some gloves and picked it up. It had something in it, so she opened it, to reveal a pool stick, separated into two pieces. She carefully examined both halves, and glanced into the case. In the bottom, there was a small cube of blue chalk. "Hm…" she muttered to herself.

It was then that she noted that the bottom half was heavier than it should be, and if she tipped it the right way, something seemed to rattle inside.

"Hey guys! Check this out," she said as she held the stick it front of her, rattling whatever was inside.

"Whassat?" Greg asked.

"It's a pool cue." Greg gave her a look that said _I **know **that_, so she continued, "With something inside it."

After a bit of finagling, she found that the very bottom twisted open to reveal a hollow cavity, in which something was glinting in the light. Rebekah tipped it and dropped a metal skewer into her hand.

"HA!" she yelled in triumph. "Looks like a murder weapon to me. What say you, eh?"

Tobias nodded. "Nice. But we'll have to take it back to the lab and test it to be sure."

They continued sifting through the sparse items in the hotel room, finding nothing else of use, and moved on to Elroy's car. It was a junky old station wagon desperately in need of a new paint job. On the passenger seat there was a book with a scrap of paper stuck between some of the pages. On closer inspection, the book turned out to be a high school yearbook, and the paper, marking the page with Annette Pearson's picture on it, had scrawled on it "McInelly's419 W. Harcourt DriveLos Angeles"

Back at the lab, the skewer tested positive for blood, and positive for human. After a little experimentation, it proved to be an exact match to the puncture wounds in all the victims.

The interrogation had not been so helpful. When they had found out about the skewer, Tobias had gone to give the information to Anthony. When questioned about the skewer, yearbook, and address, Elroy had cleverly dodged everything they had. He said that the book had been in his car for some time, and his coming to LA had nothing to do with Annette Pearson. As for the address, he simply said a friend had suggested the bar before he came.

Then came the big question: What was he doing with a skewer with human blood on it? And technically, he had been carrying it as a concealed weapon, which he did not have a permit for. When presented with these questions, he immediately clammed up and demanded to have a lawyer.

A little later, they all met up in the break room.

"Well, even if he's not talking, we've got enough evidence to hold him," Anthony said as he dug a sandwich out of the fridge.

Rebekah suddenly looked up from her yogurt. "Mm…but why was there no other evidence of a bloody murder in or on his stuff? You know, like no bloody clothes or anything."

"Must've dumped 'em somewhere," Nick offered.

"Dumpster!" Tobias said suddenly, holding his can of soda up, in a salute of sorts. "We didn't check it. Didn't have a reason to at the time."

As if compelled by some silent order, Tobias and Rebekah abruptly got up, went to get their gear, and headed out to check the dumpster at the motel.

They stood in front of the dumpster, silently debating on how to go about their task.

Tobias turned to Rebekah. "You know, you're going to have to climb in there."

"What! Why me? You're supposed to be manly and…tough. You afraid of a little garbage?"

"No, but you weigh less, so it'll be easier to get you in and out."

"You just don't want to get dirty," she muttered as she walked up to the dumpster. _How to get in there…_ She wasn't known for her upper body strength, so she was betting that she couldn't lift herself over the edge. She was pondering her nonexistent plan when Tobias crept up behind her and grabbed her just above the knees. She shrieked as he hoisted her up to where she could climb over the edge.

So there she stood, amid the garbage, while Tobias stood on the ground in front of her with a big grin. She narrowed her eyes at him before returning to the task at hand. She began pushing piles of trash aside, extremely thankful for her gloves.

"Hey now, what's this?" she said suddenly. Tobias leaned over the edge of the dumpster to see what she had found. She held up a white plastic grocery-type bag, which appeared to have something stained red in it. On closer inspection, it was a T-shirt, a grey one. It had blood stains on the bottom of the front, as though someone had wiped off their bloody hands on it. "The plot thickens."

She put the shirt back in the bag, and handed it to Tobias, who put it into a large evidence bag, and set it next to his kit.

"Um…let's see…" Rebekah muttered as she attempted to remove herself from the dumpster. She wound up sitting, teetering, on the edge, her feet dangling about three feet off the ground. She was going to just jump down, but she didn't want to get caught on the edge as she slithered down. So, she swung her legs forward, and vaulted herself into the air haphazardly, just as Tobias stood up from kneeling by his kit, and turned around to face her. Well, now he was standing right in her way, that wouldn't do at all… There was no time for him to move, and she certainly couldn't change course in midair. In the end, she collided with him, wrapping her arms around his neck, as he grabbed her around the waist. He stumbled back a few steps, then she looked him in the eye, grinned, and set her feet on the ground.

"Thanks."

"Yeah…uh, anytime."

Upon taking the shirt back to the lab, it was determined that the blood on the shirt belonged to the victim, Annette Pearson. And, from skin and sweat from the inside of the shirt, it was determined that it belonged to Martin Elroy.

"There's no way he's getting out of this now," Anthony said as he reviewed the evidence.

"Actually there is."

Everyone turned to see Vivian walk in, looking very distraught.

"What?" was the general cry in the room.

"He just escaped from county lockup. Killed two guards with a pen that was sitting on a desk. A friggin' _pen_!" she explained.

"What? How?" Sara asked.

"A quick jab to the jugular, and he was out of there before anyone even realized what was happening."

"Shit. That means he could be out there, right now, killing someone else." Greg said angrily.

"Wait," Nick said. "Who says he's going to kill anyone else? He's already got the one he was after. The one who started it all."

"Let's say I've got a feeling," Greg replied.

"He's probably right," Tobias pointed out. "I mean, there's still so much we don't know about this guy. How he finds his victims, how he chooses them, how he managed to find Annette Pearson, all kinds of stuff."

"OK, so how do we find him?" Vivian asked the assembled group.

"Well," Anthony mused. "It would be near impossible to track him, so—"

"Bait," Rebekah said suddenly.

Vivian shook her head. "Too risky."

"Aww, come on," Rebekah protested. "Just have some cops follow the lure, and nab him the second they see him."

Vivian looked straight at her. "No." She turned to address the group as a whole. "Now, it's getting late. There's no reason to have _everyone_ here all night. So, some of you, go get some sleep. Draw straws if you have to." Then she headed back to her office to finish a massive pile of paperwork.

They did end up drawing straws, because no one really wanted to leave while there might be work to be done. Of the six remaining, it was decided that three would go, and three would stay. Rebekah, Sara, and Nick were sent off to get sleep, while the others remained at the lab, going over the evidence, trying to determine where Martin Elroy would go now.

After an hour or so, Tobias's cell phone rang. The display said that it was Rebekah's phone, but for some reason he felt uneasy as he answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Mr. CSI," a man's voice on the other end said. "Your little red-headed friend is just my type. Too bad for you." Then he hung up.

"Fuck!" Tobias yelled as he jumped up and headed for the door.

"What is it? What's going on?" Greg asked him.

"Bastard's got Rebekah," came the reply.

"What! How did he find her? How does he even _know_ about her?" Greg continued to question.

"I have no idea. The guy's a frickin' _nutcase_."

"Where are you going?" Anthony asked.

"To Rebekah's."

"And what are you planning on doing when you get there?"

"I'll figure that out when I get there."

"I'll come with you," Greg offered.

Tobias turned to Anthony. "Send some backup or something, eh?"

Anthony knew there was no stopping the young man. "Will do," he said as they left.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Still only own CSI: LA and nothing else.

**Chapter 4**

They parked in front of Rebekah's apartment building. Tobias was praying that they were still here and Elroy hadn't taken her somewhere else. If he had, there would be no way to even know where to look.

They quietly went upstairs to her apartment, and when they reached her door, Tobias stopped and put his ear against the door. He could here a voice inside.

"Well, my pretty, you don't get to dress up like the other girls, I'm afraid I'm a little unprepared. But not to worry, you're still special. Your friends took my pool stick, so I've got to improvise. Jeez, you're not making this easy, are you? Making me start over from scratch."

_Well, at least there still here. And she's probably still alive, since he's talking to her_. Tobias turned to Greg, "I'm gonna go in. You stay here."

"What? Why? What good am I going to do out here?"

"You know, in case he tries to escape, or something."

Greg gave him a funny look, like _Are you nuts?_ "Um…okay."

Tobias reached into his pocket and produced a set of keys. He selected one and was about to unlock the door when—

"Where'd you get a key?"

He gave Greg a _Does that matter now?_ look, and replied, "Long story."

He quietly unlocked the door, and carefully pushed it open, praying it wouldn't creak. He unholstered his sidearm and crept into the living room. Greg followed him, then stayed at his post inside the door. The voice was still coming from the bedroom, so that was where Tobias headed.

Just as he had almost reached the closed bedroom door, it opened, and Tobias ducked quickly behind the couch. Elroy came wandering out, into the kitchen. He started digging around in drawers, muttering to himself.

"No…too dull. Too big… Aha!" There was a clatter of metal as he pulled something from the drawer. He started to walk back to the bedroom and Tobias thought, _It's now or never._

He vaulted over the couch to apprehend Elroy, but misjudged how far away he was. He was planning on being far away enough so that he would have an advantage with his sidearm, as opposed to Elroy's kitchen utensil. But, he landed too close to his target. Too close to lift his weapon. Too close for his whole damn plan to work.

Not that he didn't try. He started to raise his gun, but was intercepted by something sharp slicing his knuckles. In shock of the sudden pain, he dropped his weapon. _Well, shit. This wasn't how I planned it at all_.

What Elroy had found in the drawer proved to be his weapon of choice, a metal skewer. It was now tipped with blood from Tobias's hand.

Tobias tried to grab the skewer, but Elroy was not going to let go of his new prize without a fight. Greg was watching all of this from his post by the front door. He would have just shot Elroy, and ended the whole ordeal, but Tobias was standing right in his line of fire. "Hey! Move!" he called, but to no effect.

The struggle continued for control of the skewer. Tobias thought for a moment that he was going to win, when Elroy suddenly adjusted his grip, and reached one foot around to hit Tobias in the back of the knees. He pushed him to the floor, and before Tobias could do anything to stop him, Elroy shoved the skewer into Tobias's left shoulder. The next sound Tobias heard after the skewer stabbing into the floor under him was a gunshot. Before he even realized what was going on, Martin Elroy was laying in a whimpering heap on the floor beside him.

Greg walked quickly over to Tobias, who was just now getting a look at the damage done to his shoulder. He looked up at Greg. "Thanks." He looked back at the skewer. "Do me favor. Pull this out."

Greg looked at him like he was insane. "But shouldn't we—"

"Just do it!" Tobias said rather loudly. He vaguely gestured to Elroy with his right arm. "Then call 911."

Greg nodded, and reluctantly wrenched the skewer free from the floor, and through Tobias's shoulder. He helped Tobias to his feet, and then reached for his cell phone.

Tobias, meanwhile, was headed for the bedroom. He pushed the door open and saw Rebekah sitting on the floor, with her hands tied securely behind her to the post at the foot of the bed. She had an absent look in her eyes, and appeared to be just waking fully up after being sedated. She looked at Tobias and blinked a few times. Then her wits seemed to return to her as she shook her head to clear the fog. She looked back at Tobias and her eyes widened.

"My god…" she said, still a little on the groggy side.

He was trying to untie her hands with one hand, as his left arm was held up against his chest. He didn't want to move it if he didn't have to. He finally released the knot and the bonds came free. Rebekah pulled her hands back in front of her, then pulled Tobias down so that he was sitting next to her on the floor.

"What have you been doing?" she asked.

* * *

A/N: Here's an interesting little tidbit. Chapters 1-4 all take place in one day. Did anyone notice that? Bonus Points to anyone who did. 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: As I've said before, I don't own anything good. Not CSI: Las Vegas, not Red Hot Chili Peppers or 'Californication'. Only CSI: LA is mine.

**Chapter 5**

_ Three Days Later _

Once again they were assembled in the break room, with their varying articles of edibles. Tobias, with his left arm in a sling, sat on the couch, with his right arm around Rebekah's shoulders. She stared boredly at the bottle of juice in her hand.

This was the last day that the Vegas CSI's were going to be in LA, and they were there discussing the hell out of the Annette Pearson case. Greg had been thoroughly commended for bringing down a dangerous killer. Martin Elroy was now in the hospital, under heavy guard, and would be facing trial as soon as he was released. He kept insisting that he played a relatively small role, but they paid no heed.

"Now this guy," Greg was explaining, gesturing to Tobias. "This guy is the real hero here. He masterminded a rescue mission in… five seconds." He offered Tobias a cupcake in recognition.

"So," Vivian asked. "When does your flight leave?"

Nick looked at his watch. "Not for a few hours. We've still got time to kill."

Rebekah looked up suddenly. "How did he find me?" she asked quietly.

Anthony thought about it for a moment. "Well, apparently, once he escaped from county lockup, he camped out in an alley across the street from the lab. Then he waited for someone of interest to come out. You just happened to fit his profile for a victim."

Rebekah shuddered, and Tobias turned to Anthony. "How do you know all that?"

"I questioned him in the hospital yesterday, because _I _was wondering how he found her. It's not like she's in the public eye very often. He wouldn't even know that she was working on his case."

Rebekah stared at him incredulously. "You mean it was just luck of the draw? I just _happened_ to be there at the wrong time? What kind of screwed up shit is that!"

"I know this probably won't help, but most of his victims were chosen at random. He just hung out at bars until he spotted a pretty girl in her mid-twenties." Anthony told her cautiously.

"What about Annette Pearson?" Sara asked. "How did he find out that she was in LA?"

Nick looked at her. "I know that one. When I first heard the victim's name, it sounded kind of familiar, but I couldn't figure out why. I thought it was all in my head. But now I remembered. A few days before we came out here, there was something on the news about some local girl who was going to make it big in Hollywood. It was Annette Pearson. Martin Elroy must've seen it and remembered her. So he decided to come out here and kill her for what she did to him."

Anthony nodded. "That's pretty much what he told me yesterday."

Tobias shook his head. "This guy is seriously screwed up. I hope he doesn't get off easy with an insanity plea."

Rebekah stared coldly at the floor. "I hope he gets the death penalty. I'm sure as hell not paying for that bastard to get free food and cable for the rest of his life."

Anthony looked nervously around the room. "How about we talk about something else."

This was met with nods of assent and mutters of agreement.

Greg thought a moment, before looking at Tobias. "How about… where'd you get a key?"

Several pairs of eyes turned toward him.

He looked back at the innocently. "What? It's not what you think… last month she had to go visit her family, and I was watering her plants," he explained.

Greg looked suspicious. "I didn't see any plants."

"That's because he killed them," Rebekah said softly.

"I did not! They were alive when I left, I swear!"

Rebekah leaned toward Greg and gestured at Tobias over her shoulder. "This one here, he's a professional shrub killer. He's even got a rap sheet." She pointed to the bulletin board on the wall. "Three counts of herbicide, and intentional endangerment of a cactus." She wiped away a mock tear. "It was the only survivor."

Tobias reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys. He took one off of the ring and held it out to Rebekah. "You want it back?"

She shook her head. "Nah, keep it. It might come in handy again someday." She leaned back against him, then twisted around and wrapped her arms around him. "How are you supposed to come to my rescue if you can't get in?"

They continued talking and laughing for the next few hours until the Vegas CSI's had to leave to catch their flight back home. The plane lifted off as the sun went down over the Pacific Ocean.

_It's the edge of the world_

_And all of western civilization_

_The sun may rise in the East _

_At least it settles in the final location_

_It's understood that Hollywood_

_Sells Californication

* * *

_

A/N: So, what did you think? I'm considering doing a sequel, of the further adventures of the Los Angeles Crime Lab. Would anyone read it if I did?


End file.
